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I don´t know why, but Tuesdays seem
to come around faster than any other day. So, it is time again to meet at the
throne of grace of our wonderful God and Father. We, at CLM, are seeking a
radical transformation in our children. That their hearts would be cleansed and
filled with the awesomeness of God´s redemption and glory. We pray that God
would start in the hearts of some of the older adolescents, like Donei, Geovane,
Robson, Lizena, Elaine, Aline, Josiele, and Ketlyn, that the CLM revival could
ripple through the hearts of all of the others. It´s a big prayer, but we have
no doubt that this is what God desires to do in our family. We pray that the
devotions and praise and prayer times can impact all of us in the deepest and
most powerful way. May every touch be a touch of God´s love, may every word be
full of grace and tenderness, may there be forgiveness and understanding, may
our eyes and hearts be turned to the glory of God.
"No eye has seen, no ear has
heard,
no mind conceived what God has
prepared
for those who love Him." I Cor.
2:9
Mike and Mary and Nate and Andrew got
off Thursday night, bussing it to São Paulo and flying São
Paulo/Chicago/Akron-Canton. They reported that it was a good trip and a very
unusually one - everything went smoothly, no delays, no problems. Mike and Mary
will be in the Canton area (with church and friends) for the first and last week
of their trip and in Cincinnati (with family) in the middle. Their dogs Maggie
and Mocha are in the good hands of Aline and Maria Joana. Maria Joana is there
to take care of the dogs and Aline is there to take care of Maria Joana. Please
pray for Mike and Mary to bathe in the Lord, being refreshed and renewed in His
Spirit and enjoying all of their time in the States.
CLM Turvo is attempting to adjust to
their two new little guys, Gabriel and Willian. They are both really agitated
and have managed to agitate the whole family. The other morning, the older one
wondered into the kitchen and picked up a bag of coffee and put a handful in his
mouth. He started choking and gagging. After coughing up a good bit of it,
Luiz had him drink lots of water. Thankfully, he was OK. They come with a
tremendous amount of baggage, emotional and spiritual. Their parents are
involved in a mafia/gang type of life with some very rough characters. Their
father is in prison for what sounds like the rest of his life for drug
trafficking. The boys are actually in hiding and our prayers are that no one
that shouldn´t, discovers where they are. We are praying and trusting that God
has inner healing and restoration for them and ask very much for His
protection.
Our little Luana is adapting real
well. She really reminds us of Sabrina and often gets called that. She likes
to help by making her bed and folding clothes. She colors really well and can
write her name, although sometimes the letters are out of order. She is very
affectionate and tender and a sweetie.
God seems to be guiding us at both
CLM Turvo and CLM Entre Rios to be hiring extra people to help in the areas that
we are having difficulty covering. Although, we have 7 missionaries at Entre
Rios, Mike and Mary will be gone for 5 weeks and Bethany is within a month of
her due date and is becoming more and more limited. We now have as employees
the following people: Luiz and Doneri are working with the animals, fields, and
garden, Julia and Lizena are in the laundry room and cleaning, Josiane is
working with the younger children, and Marilda (3 days a week) is training to
fill in for Bethany´s responsibilities while she will be on maternity leave.
CLM Turvo has Eliane as their cook, Zélia as their laundry lady (3 days a week),
and hope to get another for childcare, possibly Etienne who is presently
unemployed. Please pray for the financial coverage of these employees and that
they can work well with the team and with the children having the vision for
this ministry. We are also thankful for our older girls at both homes who
are very helpful with homework, baths, cooking, cleaning, and many other
areas.
Tomorrow is Juan´s 26th birthday.
Juan is Bethany´s husband, but before Bethany came into the picture, he was good
friends with the CLM boys his age and was always around. They now are living at
CLM and are expecting their first child around the beginning of June. Juan is
in graduate school in Chemistry and doing private tutoring. Pray that God will
continue to prepare him for the responsibilities and joys of being a father.
Pray for the rest of their pregnancy and for a safe delivery.
We have a wedding announcement to
make. Everson and Leticia have marked their wedding for July 26th and will be
having the ceremony and reception at CLM Turvo. You all are
invited.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) CLM Revival - that God can do an
amazing supernatural and transforming work in the lives of our children starting
with our adolescents, that every devotion, praise, and prayer time would touch
and heal, that they can be excited about what God wants to do in and through the
CLM family, for fervent prayer and fasting on the part of the missionaries and
prayer warriors.
2) Mike and Mary - praise God for
the safe trip, may God bless their time with church, friends, and family, may He
provide them with rest and refreshment, guiding them in a reflection on their
first year on the mission field, may God bless all of the opportunities that
they have to share of the work at CLM.
3) Nate and Andrew - that the Lord
will help them readjust to the U.S., that He will continue to teach them through
their experiences at CLM, that they will have lots of opportunities to share
about CLM.
4) CLM Turvo - may God release
Gabriel and Willian of the spiritual and emotional baggage that they carry, that
the Lord would protect the CLM Turvo family from the gang that their family is
involved in, that their family would not discover where they are, that any
health problems can be determined, that the other CLM kids can influence them to
return to the normal calmness of CLM Turvo, for wisdom, strength, and patience
for Luiz, Aninha, and Natalia, that the employees would function well with the
team and the children.
5) CLM Entre Rios - for extra
strength, wisdom, and patience while Mike and Mary are gone, for cooperation
from all of the children, for the employees both temporary and permanent, that
the children will feel security.
6) Juan and Bethany - for Juan in
his studies, work, church ministry, and family that God will shine and
powerfully use him, for Bethany as she nears her due date and for overcoming the
urinary tract infection and tiredness, for adjustment to being
parents.
7) Sabrina - praise God for a great
adjustment to her new family (I talked to her today), that God would continue to
be with her and use her to reach her new family for Christ, that her singing
would touch her family and neighbors, for her dad who will be in Germany for 2
months.
8) Elaine - for her physical health,
especially the bronchitis that she has now, for dealing with the idea that her
dad and family have come into the picture and her total rejection of having any
contact with them, that she can grow in her security that we and God love her
very much.
9) Studies - so far, Rita and
Geovane have done very well with their studies for those in the lower grades.
The others don´t appear to have done well at all. Pray that we may know how to
help each one of them, pray for improvement or removal of one of the 4th grade
teachers who is in much conflict with the students and gives way too much
homework, that it can be a successful school year.
10) Juraci - praise that her skin
condition has improved tremendously, that we can take good care of her, for
God´s protection.
11) Everson and Leticia - for God´s
orientation as we make the wedding plans, already asking for a beautiful day
since it is to be an outdoors wedding, for God´s blessings on this
union.
12) Joacir and Meghan - that the
Lord would use the next 2 months for them to know each other better and clearly
determine if marriage would be in God´s plans for them, for spiritual growth and
maturity.
We had our first frost today. It
wasn´t that strong, but the air is really cold especially early in the morning
and towards the end of the afternoon. Of course, the kids don´t seem to feel
anything as they run around barefoot and with shorts on. It may be a long hard
winter.
Thank you for your prayers. We need
you very much.
There has been a lot of action at CLM
this week, as usual. Once again, Lobinho and Joanna had a scare with Nicole.
They had taken her to the Physical Therapist just for a review of how she is
doing. She was really showing off and walking all over the place. The
therapists were thrilled to see it, since she hadn´t been there for quite a
while. On the way home, they stopped at the supermarket. They noticed that
Nicole was a little lethargic, but thought it was probably that she was sleepy.
When they got home, Joanna stopped at their house before bringing Nicole down to
the main house to sleep. Lobinho had brought the car down and was seeing what
was going on. He had barely gotten down to the house, when Joanna came running
with a limp and very blue Nicole in her arms. We know that it was the strength
and speed of the Lord and her intense mother´s love for her daughter that
equipped Joanna to run with her in her arms and not fall or tire. They took off
to the hospital and as they were leaving the farm, Nicole started breathing
again. The doctor kept her overnight in observation and by this morning she was
more than fine. For some unknown reason, the little bit of a fever she had
because of a cold, raised rapidly and her body´s reaction was to stop
breathing. Once again, God´s protection was over our precious, but fragile
Nicole. Please keep Nicole and Lobinho and Joanna in your prayers.
Well, Sabrina´s new parents did
receive guardianship of Sabrina and left for Rio de Janeiro after lunch on
Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon, Marcos and Vanilde came to CLM to spend some
time with Sabrina, as well as, to have the opportunity to understand a little
more about the family with which Sabrina has been living for the last 2 years.
They left with Sabrina for a little while and then spent time with the other
children and the missionaries. They left after dinner. Wednesday morning, they
had a hearing at 9:00. We hadn´t been informed, but the Judge decided that he
wanted to hear from Sabrina as to whether she was accepting this idea, so I had
to take her to the courthouse. After everything was done and said, we all
returned to CLM for lunch so Sabrina could have an official CLM good-bye with
lots of pictures. Even in the short time that Sabrina´s parents were here, we
really connected with them and them with us. They called to say that they made
it to Rio and that Sabrina has been a hit everywhere she has gone. They stopped
in Curitiba and in Sâo Paulo where they met up with Vanilde´s relatives who
welcomed her into the family. Keep Sabrina and her new family in your prayers.
Her father will be leaving soon to spend 2 months in Germany on business.
Everything kind of came on at the same time.
God doesn´t take long to fill the
empty beds at CLM. Yesterday, CLM Entre Rios received Luana, a 6 year old girl
who actually looks a lot like Sabrina and is also in the first grade. Her
mother was only 11 years old when Luana was born (being 18 now with other
children who are being taken care of by relatives) and has been negligent from
the beginning. Her father is a drug addict and her grandmother who was to be
taking care of her really doesn´t want her. Her story reminds me of a book I
read as a young girl called "The Family that No one Wanted". That book had a
big influence and impact on my life. Today, kids that no one wanted are so very
precious and loved by the CLM families. Luana is a real sweetie and seems to be
a very intelligent and capable little girl.
On Friday, the 4 siblings who
were temporarily at CLM Turvo left to meet up with their mother in Santa
Catarina which is the state below us. Sueli, the 14 year old girl went
reluctantly and left a beautiful letter sharing her feelings of her experience
at CLM. Really only the youngest brother was anxious to return with their
mother. We trust that God had His purpose for their short stay and exposure to
His truths and love. Please keep Sueli and her brothers in your
prayers.
Well, God also has sent new children
to CLM Turvo today. Gabriel and Willian are 3 and 4 years old. They were at
the government orphanage, but the mother was giving them a lot of problems and
they were very concerned as to what might happen. The parents are drug addicts
and dealers and the father is in prison. The mother would frequently show up at
the group home with some other strange looking characters. The boys would
become very upset and one of them was even hospitalized for several days. The
request came to us to provide a home far from the city and where the parents
would not know where they are. Please pray for Gabriel and Willian. With these
additional children, we declare our two homes to be up to full capacity until
other children move on.
On Thursday, Mike and Mary will be
leaving on furlough until June 9th. Please be praying for them as they finish
up all of the last minute preparations, for the best use of their time with
family, friends, and churches, and for refreshment and relaxation in the Lord.
Returning to the States with Mike and Mary will be our short termers, Nate and
Andrew who have spent most of their experience at CLM Turvo. May the Lord help
them to reflect on their experience and all the Lord has taught
them.
We have two birthdays this week.
Everton is 4 years old today. He is the next to the youngest of the new 4
sibling group that arrived in March. At first, Everton did not say anything.
We were wondering if he could talk or smile. That is no longer a doubt we
have. By the third day, he was talking up a storm and was showing us his
captivating smile. He is a silly little boy. The older boys have especially
enjoyed him. He likes to play with cars, balls, and to color. Pray for his
continual growth and development.
Tomorrow, April 30th is Elaininha´s
6th birthday. She came to CLM when she was 2 years old because she was living
along side of a major highway with her alcoholic father and mentally ill mother,
a rather dangerous situation. She has demonstrated a significant speech delay
and has been in treatment. She is a very excitable and a full of life little
girl. She likes to color, play with dolls, swim, and do whatever the other kids
are doing. She is in the first year of school this year and has shown some
difficulties. In regards to Elaininha, we have a
special prayer request for Dale and Dana Stuber who feel lead by the Lord to
adopt Elaininha. Dr. Fabio, the Juvenile Judge has requested their names and is
considering recommending them to CEJA (Brazilian government adoption agency) for
this adoption. Special consideration will be made since Elaininha is a special
needs child having a significant speech delay. Please keep this process in your
prayers that God´s will will be done and that He will be
glorified.
Please note that there has been a
change in our e-mail address. Instead of being clm@entreriosnet.com.br
it is clm@donau.com.br . You will see the title Fazenda Canaã
instead of clm.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Sabrina - for her adjustment to
her new family, new school and new surroundings, that she may feel very loved
and secure, for God´s protection over her father while he spends two months in
Germany,
2) Luana (Entre Rios) - may the Lord
comfort and encourage her as she continues to develop and grow, God´s help as
she enters a new school, development of relationships with the family,
relatives, and friends, that she may feel loved and secure.
3) Sueli and her brothers (Turvo) -
that the Lord would be with them as they adjust back with their mother, that the
valuable seeds that were planned will bloom someday.
4) Gabriel and Willian (Turvo) - for
their adjustment, protection from the parents, that they will obtain inner
healing for the fears and traumas, building of relationships with the other
children and staff.
5) Mike and Mary - for the necessary
preparations for their trip, for safe travels, and for the distribution of their
time with friends, relatives, and churches, for a deep refreshing and relaxing
time, that their dogs will be well taken care of by Aline and Maria Joanna,
God´s preparation for their return, for the rest of the CLM staff as we fill
in.
6) Nate and Andrew - for safe
travels and much reflection on their experiences at CLM, for passing forward the
essence of the CLM ministry to other individuals and churches.
7) Everton - for his continual
development and growth, for building of security in his new family, for God´s
protection at all times, for experiencing the love of Jesus.
8) Elaininha - for her speech
development, as well as, in all other areas, for her learning and cognitive
abilities, for adoption to Dale and Dana Stuber according to God´s will, for
God´s preparation for that moment.
9) Arivaldo and Andy - for
overcoming much anger that is coming out of them and an understanding of where
it is coming from and how to handle it, for deliverance of any demonic activity
and total liberation.
10) Nicole - for God´s mighty hand
of protection over Nicole at all times, for continual growth and development,
for speech development, for encouragement, faith, and strength for Lobinho and
Joanna.
11) Mary (Gibson) - lifting me up
daily, for orientation and clear discernment in every decision, to be able to
sleep better and be renewed every day, for relief of the back, neck, and
shoulder pain that I am experiencing, for healthy grieving at the loss of my
sister.
It is only because of Jesus that the
CLM missionaries are here. God´s love does make a difference in the lives of
our children. Thankfully, we can be an instrument in their preparation for the
future however God would lead each of their paths. Please continue with us as
we strive to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.
We don´t exactly know what is going
to happen with Sabrina at the moment, but God is really moving. Thanks so much
for your prayers for her. On Sunday, I talked to her about being adopted and
showed her the pictures. I had wanted to share it with the CLM family
on Sunday. Well, Sabrina flatly refused the idea. She did not want a family, a
Mom or a Dad. She wanted to stay at CLM, period. I suggested that she take the
pictures with her to show Viktoria and others. She said, No. My thoughts were
that I hoped that everyone was praying. A couple of hours later, she came to me
and asked for the pictures. She was showing them to Elaine and Elaine asked who
these people were. When I said that they were Sabrina´s Mom and Dad, Sabrina
just shook her head No. Mary Cochran had a talk with her and explained things
like she would live near the beach, talked about the dogs in the picture, and
her bedroom. She showed her Rio de Janeiro on the map and of course, Sabrina
made the deduction that Rio is very close to Guarapuava and she would visit
often. Soon she started calling them her Mom and Dad, her bedroom, their
dogs. This morning she was willing to take the pictures to school. At a moment
like this, the kids do look to us as to the peace and certainty that we have
that God is directing what is happening. The ironic part is that our hearts are
saying, "Just stay here", but our love for the child and what is best for them
speaks louder. God then gives the grace to transmit peace and confidence that
the adoption is right and good. Our desire was for the family to give Sabrina a
little more time to know them and feel more comfortable. It doesn´t look like
it is going to happen, but God is doing an amazing work in her heart to bring
her about to accept what is happening.
On Friday, the 5 siblings - Aline,
Francielle, Lucas, Rita, and Gisieli - had a hearing with the Judge and District
Attorney. They were interested in knowing from the two oldest if they would
consider returning to their mother. That brought an immediate NO. They asked
why and that was much harder. It was more of an internal feeling and not so
much specifics. It did come out that they didn´t always have food and that they
doubted if their mother could really support them. In summary, they will go for
adoption after a few more details are resolved. The kids did mention that
wherever they stay or go, they want to stay together. Please keep them in your
prayers that God´s will will be done and in His timing.
Gabriel continues to have his weekly
visits with his mother at the courthouse. After one more visit, home visits
will probably be set up. After meeting up with his mother, he seems to be
leaning more towards going back. May God´s plans be accomplished in his life
and may we support and continue to prepare him.
We have 4 birthdays this week.
Today, April 22rd, is Bethany´s 31st birthday. Bethany is from Ohio and is a
short (long term) missionary. She married Juan, a Brazilian and a long standing
close friend of our older boys. Bethany is the daughter of Tom and Lilly
Shurance. She is presently involved in the financial control of CLM both in
Entre Rios and Turvo. She also has a lot of experience and training (NILD) to
offer in the academic area and therefore works with our students who are needing
extra reinforcement. Bethany and Juan are expecting their first child in June
and it is a boy. They are thankful for your prayers.
Tomorrow, April 23rd is Loeci´s 20th
birthday. She came to CLM when she was 15 months old after her mother abandoned
the family and her father had no interest in raising her. She actually was
passed onto her paternal grandparents who asked CLM to take her. They already
had 4 daughters at CLM. Loeci started as a challenge to deal with her strong
will, but has turned into a strong, determined, and directed young lady who
loves her Lord and desires so much to please Him and serve Him. She is dating a
wonderful Christian man named Marcelo. They both are going to college, she in
administration and he in economics. There are wedding plans for after her
college graduation in 2 years. She is presently working at a Pharmacy in the
Administrative Department and teaching English. Please keep Loeci in your
prayers for growth and learning, preparation for her future, for God´s
protection and powerful presence in her life.
On Thursday, April 24th, Tamara from
Turvo will be 6 years old. She is the younger sister of Luana and Wilher who
came to CLM when their mother abandoned the family leaving the children with
their stepfather. Tamara is a very sweat and petite little girl. She is in the
first grade and doing pretty good. She is affectionate and obedient. She loves
to play with dolls. Please pray for Tamara.
Elaine will be 18 on Saturday, April
26th. She came to CLM when she was 10 years old from a very abusive substitute
family. Her mother had died and her father was not able to get his daughter
back. Elaine is a very intelligent and capable young lady. She is presently in
her next to the last year of High School and would like to be a lawyer. She
likes to cook, her specialty being doughnuts. She also likes to take care of
babies and they respond well to her. She is working two afternoons a week doing
just that. Elaine suffers from a lot of allergies and other medical problems.
Please lift Elaine up to our Heavenly Father that she can become all that He
intended her to be.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Sabrina - that God would continue
to do His awesome work in her heart that she might believe that her new mother
and father are a gift from God for her, may God bring His salvation to Marcos
and Vanilde, for a safe trip back to Rio de Janeiro, a 16 hour drive, for
adjustment and continue growth and development.
2) Five sibling group - that God´s
will will be done as far as adoption is concerned in His timing, preparation for
the children, their new family, and for the CLM family.
3) Gabriel - that he would make the
right decision about going back or not to his mother´s, for character building,
removal of all confusion, overcoming of his subtle rebelliousness.
4) Bethany - for good health and a
good pregnancy to the end, for continual insight and compatibility in her
ministries at home, church, and CLM, for all of her relationships, God´s
orientation for the several grants that she is working on.
5) Loeci - for her work, studies,
and relationships, for God´s protection and constant presence with her, for her
spiritual growth and growth in ministry.
6) Tamara - for continual growth and
development, for obedience, for her studies, that she would grasp the
love message of Jesus Christ.
7) Elaine - for her studies and
preparation for a profession, for her spiritual growth and deep commitment, for
a taming of her explosive temperament, for a relationship with her biological
family which she connected with just recently.
8) Juracy - praise God for a great
improvement in her skin condition, pray that we would be successful in combating
it, God´s help for her general care.
9) Dr. Fabio - that the Lord would
use him to determine the future of our kids, that CLM can have a good
relationship with Him, that the Lord would bring him into a full understanding
and relationship with Him.
10) CLM Turvo - especially pray for
their studies, specifically Geovane, Zélia, and Luan who have the most
difficulties, for daily strength for Luiz, Aninha, and Natalia.
11) Willian and Gabriel - two little
boys that the government orphanage is asking us to take because the mother is
harassing the children. I ask for your prayers for discernment as to whether we
are to accept the boys either here or at Turvo.
I´m very sorry but my eyes will not
stay open any longer. Forgive me for any mistakes and keep praying for us,
please.
I have arrived!! In a round about
way, but I arrived. We were late leaving Akron/Canton and my connection in
Atlanta was tight. Well, even after running to the gate, I missed the São Paulo
flight. When I checked with Delta about what they would do with me, they asked
if I would accept going through Buenos Aires. Of course, just get me to South
America. So the plan was to go to Buenos Aires - Porto Alegre - Curitiba,
however, we were late leaving Atlanta and we got to Buenos Aires just as the
Porto Alegre flight was leaving. It took about 2 hours to rearrange the rest of
the trip. So the last leg of the trip was to Curitiba through Paraguay. I
finally got to Curitiba just a couple hours later than originally planned. Of
course, my luggage didn´t keep up with me. It traveled to Curitiba by way
of São Paulo and hopefully is to arrive to CLM this morning. The great part is
that I had 3 heavy suitcases and I did not need to lift them or transport them
at all - they are arriving at my doorstep! It was an adventure and all turned
out well, very well. I spent Saturday night in Curitiba with Elisabete and
Julio and met up with Berenice, Elenize, Vera and Tcharlys. I very much needed
a hug or two from my kids. On Sunday night, I arrived home to a wonderful and
loving reception from my family. I can only praise the Lord for my trip and the
blessing to be with my family for the commemoration of Kathy´s Home Going.
It has been good to find things
in good order here at CLM. The team all pulled together and the older girls
really pitched in, too. We have had a few minor problems at school and a bunch
of action on the Judicial front. A hearing for Sabrina will be coming up on
April 23rd and it looks like the guardianship will be turned over to the
interested couple from Rio de Janeiro. We will be making the suggestion to the
family to come and spend some days at CLM so that Sabrina can get somewhat
comfortable with them before she leaves with them. I believe that just picking
her up and taking her would be extremely traumatic for Sabrina. Please pray
that the family would be sensitive to her needs and accept our invitation.
Gabriel appears to be interested in returning with his mother, who is no longer
living with the man who was abusing him. He will be initiating visits with her
at the courthouse on Thursday, having weekly visits for the next month. He is
not doing well with all of this so please be praying for him. There is a hearing for the 5 sibling group - Aline,
Francielle, Lucas, Rita, and Gisieli - on Friday to hear their ideas about
removing the rights of the parents, with possible adoption. Please pray that
they will speak up and that the Lord would direct their decisions.
We are happy to announce that
Patricia is our Star of the Week. She just didn´t think she could ever be the
Star of the Week. She also is doing better with her teacher and hasn´t had
anymore disrespect problems. Keep her in your prayers, please.
CLM Turvo is rejoicing with their
full house. Besides the six month old baby, Josefin, they are temporarily
taking care of a 4 sibling group who were abandoned by their mother. She left
them with a farmer who was suspected to have bad intentions and went off to the
next state. She was trailed and found and supposedly is coming back to pick of
her children, since she was able to find a job there. The oldest girl is 14 and
in the seventh grade, but has not studied for over a year. The three boys are
11, 10, and 8. All four of the kids are very precious and well behaved. They
will see in the next couple of days what will be happening with them. Keep them
in your prayers.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Mary - praise God for a safe and
adventurous trip, that God will continue to be my comfort and strength
especially in my weakest moments, that I can integrate back into the CLM life
and leadership of this mission, that even from far I can continue to support my
stateside family.
2) Sabrina - that the Lord would
prepare Sabrina and give her security and confidence, that the adoptive family
would accept our invitation to spend some time at CLM to understand where
Sabrina has been living and to give them a chance to start their bonding, for
the other CLM kids and staff to accept and contribute to the
transition.
3) Gabriel - that the visits with
his mother will give him a firm decision about returning home or not, for his
protection, for his character building, for truth and honesty.
4) Aline, Francielle, Lucas, Rita,
and Gisieli - for the hearing that they will be having on Friday that they would
freely share their hearts, that God´s will for them will be done, that Judge
Fabio will be used by the Lord to determine their futures.
5) Patricia - for her growth in
respect and obedience, praise God for her decision to cooperate with her teacher
whether the teacher has problems or not, for inner healing and inner peace, that
all of her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs will be met.
6) CLM Turvo - for growth and
development for Josefin, that the Lord would direct her future, that the other
CLM Turvo children can benefit from the specialness of having a baby in their
midst, for the 4 siblings that their futures would also be determined, that
during the short (or long) time that they are at CLM that the seed of God´s love
and truth will be planted and that their experience will profoundly mark their
lives, for strength, energy, good health, God´s protection, and all else that
Luiz and Aninha and Natalia need each day, for God´s presence overcoming any
attempts of the enemy to attack, steal, or destroy.
7) Josiane - that she would be
uplifted by the Holy Spirit, that she would be encouraged in her service for the
Lord and her personal relationship with Him, that she would be very successful
in her studies, for overcoming any barriers that are keeping her back from
finding and holding a job, that she would know how very special she is in God´s
eyes.
8) Juraci - that we can get on top
of her horrible skin condition, that we can meet her needs health wise and
emotionally, for God´s protection over her.
9) Bethany - for God´s continual
blessings on their pregnancy, for a healthy and God fearing boy, God´s wisdom so
that Bethany can pace herself, God´s orientation as she works with the CLM
finances and educational input, that God would strengthen her marriage everyday,
for God´s blessings and protection over Juan.
10) Mike and Mary - for their
preparations for their furlough to the States starting on May 2rd, that it would
be a time of refreshment and encouragement, for the decision on who could take
care of their dogs while they are gone, for finishing of the bathroom remodeling
in their house, for continual ministerial growth.
I want to thank you for your prayers
and support to me and my family with the passing of Kathy. Please continue to
pray for Kathy´s husband, Bob and their 8 children, 5 daughter-in-laws, and 8
grandchildren, as well as, the rest of my family as the grieving and adjustment
continues. We believe in God´s faithfulness and can only look to
Him.
Thank you so much for your continual
and fervent support of this ministry and for our children´s lives, that God may
bring them to great heights in His Kingdom.
Good morning! I'm back in Ohio after
spending 5 days in Pennsylvania with my mother and sister, Sally. My mother had
laser surgery on her eye with the hopes of reducing the blindness she is
experiencing. She is also receiving periodic shots in her eyes to dry up the
bleeding. Please pray for her that these treatments can be successful and that
some of her sight can be restored. Pray for her protection, too. Here in Ohio,
all are doing our bests to make the adjustments without Kathy. There are
moments that you feel strong and others that the sadness and loss seems like it
is going to come crashing in. God is faithful and always with us. Please
continue to pray for Bob and his family and all the rest of us. I will be
traveling back to Brazil on Friday, arriving at CLM on Sunday. Please pray for
my trip and readjustment.
On the CLM front, Gabriel will be
having a hearing tomorrow about the possibility of returning to live with his
mother. He is to have a visit once a week and work with the psychologist until
the decision is made. Gabriel has been very confused and very rebellious since
this issue came up. On one side, he wants to return home, but on the other he
is very much afraid of what he might be bringing on himself. Please wrap
Gabriel in your prayers. Pray for the CLM staff also that we may be very
sensitive to his struggle and help him with the process he will be going
through.
A couple from the state of Rio de
Janeiro have declared their interest in adopting Sabrina. She is not
technically up for adoption yet, but they will now move forward in that
direction. Viktoria has talked to Sabrina about family and having a Mom and a
Dad and Sabrina has made it clear that she does not want a Mom and Dad. Please
pray for God's preparation for such a major event in her life. It would be so
good for her if the family could be making contact with her, but they are so far
away. Sabrina needs time to feel secure with new people. May God work
something out for her.
We continue our behavior
modifications program with the children at Entre Rios. There has been some
improvement in some of the kids, but maybe most of all it has helped us to
single out those that really have the behavioral problems. Ketlyn has
definitely been our winner for the most minuses and punishments. She was on
Geovane's team last month and he and the others had to work triple to overcome
her minuses since a minus would eliminate a plus. We had hoped that peer
pressure would help Ketlyn improve her behavior, but it did not work. This
month, she will be on a team of her own. Please keep Ketlyn in your prayers and
pray for much wisdom for the missionaries working with her. Last month, I
believe there were two teams that tied - Donei's and Elielton's. They had a
special film night with a special snack. The CLM Star of the Week last week was
Willian. We have been especially impressed with his choices to not be involved
in things he knows are wrong. Our desire is that this program will instill in
our children that choosing right over wrong will bring blessings and good result
in their lives.
With our local church being in the
process of changing to a home group approach to be better able to reach the
community for Christ, the Sunday morning Sunday School has been eliminated. The
Sunday School program is being conducted on Sunday nights during the church
service. That has opened the opportunity for the CLM family to have our own
program on Sunday mornings. The time is being used to introduce much more
praise time and service projects to help open the eyes of our children to the
needs of others around them. We are promoting attitudes like looking into your
closet and seeing what you could give to someone in need. We will be making the
tie-knot blankets and distributing them. Sharing food items and things from the
garden to alleviate hunger will be another way to express the love of Jesus.
The first two Sundays have already been a tremendous blessing and the kids are
responding real well. May God continue to meet us in a powerful way on Sunday
mornings and open our hearts to serve those around us as Jesus
did.
We received very sad news last night
that, Jeane's (Lizena's sister) father-in-law was killed. It appears that
Erado's father was killed by his own father, Erado's grandfather. What a
tragedy! What a waste of precious life! Please pray for Erado and Jeane and
their family and also, for Lizena.
Yesterday was Rogerio's birthday. I
don't have my calendar with me so can't tell you the age. Rogerio and Vivien
are no longer CLM missionaries, but have moved onto fulltime pastoring of our
church. The church is adding onto the pastoral house and since the construction
is not finished yet, Rogerio and family are still at CLM. They are facing major
changes in their lives and ministry and covet your prayers.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Mary and her family - pray for
Bob and his children as they adjust and move forward after Kathy's unexpected
and very sudden death, pray for Mary's mother that some of her sight would
return and for God's protection over her at all times, for Sally and Tom and
their families as they grieve the lost of another sister, for Mary as she
prepares for her trip back to Brazil and adjusts there once again and as I
continue to grieve the loss of my sister and soulmate.
2) Gabriel - that he would not
choose rebelliousness as a response to his confusion, that he would really
search his heart and think of his future, that the Lord's will would be done
through his decision and that of the Judge, for God's protection over him, for
inner healing and better gender identification, for a deep faith in
Jesus.
3) Sabrina - that the Lord would
prepare her heart for adoption, that the interested family would be able to make
contact with Sabrina and establish a relationship with her, preparation of the
CLM family and God's timing for her leaving.
4) Behavior Modification - wisdom
and patience in working with this program, that the children will grow through
it and learn good choices, for Ketlyn that we would understand her needs and
that she would work with us to bring victory in her life, for consistency and
fairness.
5) Sunday Morning Praise and Service
- may God meet the CLM family as we grow in Him and desire to praise and be His
hand of love to reach out to those in need all around us, that our children
would learn the joy and blessings of giving to others, that praise would become
a powerful instrument in all of our lives to bring us all closer to our
Lord.
6) Erado, Jeane, and Lizena - that
the Lord would be their comfort as they deal with this tragedy over the killing
of Erado's father, that they would draw closer to God, that the church family
will surround them with love and encouragement.
7) Rogerio - that the Lord would
bless him as a husband, father, and pastor, for humbleness and wisdom, for good
health and strength, for compassion to reach those without Christ for His
Kingdom, for adjustment to the many changes in their family life with their move
from CLM to the colony.
8) Edit - that the Lord would
continue to lead her and clearly show His will for her further ministry, that
all of the doors would open for her return to Brazil according to His will and
timing, for the rest of her time in the States and her time in Hungary, for
inner peace and spiritual growth.
9) Geovane, Patricia, Luquiniho, and
Diogo - that the Lord would protect them from spiritual, emotional, and physical
harm, that there would be peace within them and contentment with what the Lord
is doing in their lives, for obedience and respect and a cooperative spirit,
that Patricia would get along better with her teacher and not be having problems
with disrespect, for inner healing for each of them, that the love of Jesus
would surround them.
10) Donei - that he would take a
deep look into his heart and understand where the bitterness and anger comes
from and how destructive it is to his life, that he would be able to forgive and
to love, overcoming of the self-centeredness and bullying spirit, that his
sensitive heart and talents would take over, that he would choose Jesus as Lord
and Savior of his life.
11) CLM Turvo - pray for Luiz,
Aninha, Natalia, Nate, and Andrew as they minister to the 17 children that God
has put in their care, for adjustment to the new baby they are caring for, for
the necessary help with homework that they need to have a successful school
year, for strength, good health, energy, wisdom, and all they need from the Lord
daily.
12) Viktoria, Lobinho and Joanna,
Mike and Mary, and Bethany - that God would be their all in all each day, for
wisdom, joy, and power in the Holy Spirit, that they will shine with the love
and truth of Jesus, that they can maintain an eternal vision and see God's plan
and purpose in all they do.
I want to so much thank you for your
support and prayers for me and for my family during this time of deep sorrow as
we deal with Kathy's death. I confess that it still seems unreal, impossible,
like we are going to wake up from a bad dream at any moment. On the other hand,
God is constantly providing comfort and confirmation that He is God and that His
plans are perfect. May He be glorified.
